Fuel-supply controller for hydrocarbon-engines.



Patented July 9, I90l.

a. E. WEBB. FUEL SUPPLY CONTROLLER FOB HYDBOC-ARBON ENGINES.

(Application filed Feb. 4, 1901.)

(NolodeL) Graver 1% GEO.E.WEI?JB. 7

DEF

awn/ego 'INE norms min 00., HmD-LITMO" wgsmnoroga, o. c.

UNITED STATES;

' IENLQFF GEORGE E. WEBB, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JOHN J. ADAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

FUEL-SUPPLY CONTROLLER FOR HYDROCA'RBON-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,077, dated July 9, 1901. Application filed February 4,1901; Serial No. 45,836. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E.WEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Supply-Controller forHydrocarbomEngines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved construction for regulating the fuel-supply of an explosive-engine; and the especial object of this invention is to arrange the air-supplying connections'for the cylinder of an explosiveengine so as to secure a regulation of the amount of fuel consumed by the engine by controlling or throttling one or more of the air-supplying channels for the cylinder.

' To these ends this invention consists of the construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in theclaims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is' a sectional view of a portion of the cylinder of an explosive-engine provided with control ling devices constructed according to this in vention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectionalview of the fuel-reservoir and the means for maintaining a constant level therein.

One of the most difficult problems in the use of explosive-engines is to provide for the efficient and easily-adjusted control of the f uel-supply.

Heretofore in theuse of that class ofex plosive-engines which employed gasolene or similar liquid fuel it has been customary to control the fuel-supply by the'use of a small valve, ordinarily the fuel being controlled. by a small pointed valve or needle-valve.

In practice I have found it impossible to secure an accurate regulation of the fuel-sup ply of an explosive-engine simply by the use come this objection, many difierent oonstruc tions have been employed for securing a fine adjustment of the needle -valve; but even when adjusted withextreme accuracy and care I have found that needle-valves and similar means for directly controlling the f uel-supply of an explosive-engine are unsatisfactory on account of the delicacy and liability to Wear of the parts,.and, furthermore, such valves are rendered unreliable by the presence of even a small quantity of dust or grit.

The especial object of my present invention is therefore to provide means for regulating the fuel-supply of an explosive-engine which will entirely dispense with the use of a needle-valve or similar construction and in which the fuel-supply will be regulated by controlling the air channels and passages of the engine. To accomplish this object, an engine constructed according to my invention is provided with two or more independ ent air-supplying passages or connections. Inone ofrthe air-supplying passages I provide means forcarbureting the air and I secure a control of the fuel-supply by regulating therelative proportions of each charge supplied to the cylinder through the air-pa sages. In practice I preferably leave the main air-channel or air-supplying pipe of the cylinder entirely free and unthrottled, so that a full supply of pure atmospheric air can be drown into the cylinder at all times, and I secure a control of the fuel-supply by regulating or throttling the amount of air which supplemental air-passage preferably pass directly into the cylinder Without being mixed together, the inlet-valve of the engine being preferably arranged to directly control the inlet both from themain air-passage and supplemental air-passage. To accomplish this purpose, the inlet-valve seat is preferably surrounded by an annular chamber which connects with the supplemental air-passage, while the main air-inlet opens directly to the center of the inlet-valve seat, and in practice I have found this to be an advantageous construction, as a comparatively small opening of the inlet-valve may thus be renderedsufificient to allow free ingress of theproper proportions of the charge for the cylinder, both from the main inlet-passage and from the supplemental inlet-passage. For carbureting the air in the supplemental inlet-passage I preferably provide a small carbureting-pipe, which is arranged horizontally and provided with a gooseneck or turned-up inner end. The oil or fuel is supplied to the carburetingpipe from a reservoir, in which the oil is kept at a constant level, and a check-valve is provided for preventing back pressures, due to. premature explosions, from forcing the oil back into the carbureting-pipe.

Byusing a small horizontal carburetingpipe having a gooseneck or turnedeupjnnerr end, a construction is provided in which a; supply ofi gasolene or other fuelrisi always: kept in position for immediate use-thatisto, say, by means of, this, constructioni the smalLcarbureting-pipe will be, kept; fiulli of:-

gasolene at all times, so thatasisoonsastheneg is the slightest draft or flow of. air through,

a the supplemental: inlet passagethecanburete ing action will commence.

Referring to the accompanying:drawings and in detail, A designatesthe cylinderofs-an? explosive-engine. The opening-intolthempf per end of; the cylinder A) is=controlledrbyani inlet-valve-B, whichis normally'heldiclosedr by a spring C. These parts maybe ofrthecredinary or, approved construction :andfneedmot? be herein described-atlength, Surrounding; thevalve-seat of: the inlet-valvefiBi-cisian; an nular chamber 10, having openings directly: controlled by the valve B as indicated by; dotted'lines. Opening centrallythroughlthevalve-seat of, the inlet -valveiB isa. main airpassage 11. The mainairrpassagecl liissup= pliednvith air, through; a; pipe, 12,.Whiflh'2 1S5] preferably left open lor. free andaunthrottled', althoughany of the ordinary; controllingrdea. vicesmay be employed therefor, if? desiredi, Supplyingiair to the annular chamber- 10 zis-ai pipe 13, the admissionof:air-towhichvisiconr. trolled or regulated by meansofi any QE tbZBJ- ordinary dampers; or throttling devices 14; By means of this construction,whenithezina. let-valve B opens to permit theadmission-iofr afresh charge to the cylinder- At partsofi'thei charge will normally be; drawnithrough. themaiuair pipeor channel: and; partzvofr the charge will be drawn in through ,thesupplea mentalair pipe or, channel. By regulating, or adjusting the damperor throttlingdeyvice; 14; theproportions of aic'hargefurnis' editsv the cylinder A through the mainuair-passage:

and through the supplemental; ainpassage-i.

whichlemploy for supplying oil or} liquid: fuel to the carbureting-pipe l5- are-most The-connections? ,clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. Asshown in this figure, the pipe 15 is connectedat its up per end to a reservoir or receptacle l6, having a removable cover 26. Oil or fuel under pressure is supplied to the bottom of the reservoir, 1,6v through a pipe 17. Extending up ifiIlSldQOf' the reservoir 16 is a supply-pipe 18, and mounted inside the supply-pipe 18 is a vertical rod 19, carrying a ball or shut-off valve at its lower end. Mounted upon and surrounding the vertical tube 18 is a "ball or float 28, and carried by the ball or fl0at'28 are. bridge-pieces 20 and 21 for enfgaging a stop or button 27 on the upper end 0f the rod 1 9. By means of this construction when the float 28 rises the shut-off valve 230 will be positively lifted up to its seat, so asi toishutaofi thersupply of fuel" to the resenvoir, and* whom the-float 28 falls the valve i3flivtill be; positivelyopenecl to admit oil, to theresenvoir By means of this construction; ltheioili or. fiuelzwill be maintained at aiconstant: level; which is preferably slightlybeloan the heightofi thecarbureti-ng-pipe1'5.

aichannel; 2.2;having a. check-valve 23 near plug-'24; By-meansofl thisconstruction the slightisuctiom caused: by the passage ofair drama small quantity of; oil;thr0ughs the carthrough;thelsupplemental; inlet-passage-will be; carburetedi or; charged: with gasolcne 1 or other vapor, and: by regulating the propou tions-otf the charge drawn through the supplemental air-passage I have providedrfon the efficients-and; readily-adjusted: regulation of therfuelesupplywithout the use ofi aineedlevalve or;otherg positivelysactin g meansof; reg- Ela ion.

Whenabnormali:pressure .isicreated :by pre mature explosions-orotherwise in the supple mental ait'r'passage, the check-valve 23sw-ill close,- so asatoipreventqthe OillOl fuel from-beingforceda back, out of; the carbureting pipe lfj' 'r-th'fltl-isytfl say, byprovidin g the carbureta ing-pipe 15 with a gooseneck or turned-up inneuend-1 and: by. controlling the passage for supplyinggasolene-onother,fuel to the carbu rating-impale by aucheckfvailvfi I; have proofrgasoleneorother fuelwill-always be stor-v J.

as-soonas there istheslightest suction or flow of air1 through, thesupplementali horizontal iulet-passagethe carbureting action will commencc,

Ii am awarethatgnumerous changes maybe ,maddin. practicing my inventionby those fwhoareskilled inithe art without departing Efrem;theuscope; of my, invention as expressed in =..tl1e-claims, audgwhilel prefer to regulate Etheproportions of each charge drawn into ith-ecylinderfromthe main air-supply pipe and ithe supplemental air-supply by simply regih lating andthrottling the supplemental sup- The-cauburetiug-pipe lfiiissupplied; through :itS'ilOWfilYQDd) whichvisisecured in place by at through the; Supplemental" airipassage-i will:

buretingz pipe. 15, soy that all* air passing videdaacQnstructiOn in whichasmall amount or trappedrin-thecarbureting-pipe 15; so that IIG ply, thus leaving the main air-passage openand unobstructed, I am aware that other means may be employed for regulating and controlling the proportions of each charge for the cylinder supplied through said passages. I do not Wish, therefore, to be limited to the construction I havev herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of'the United States, is-

1. The combination of a horizontal inletpassage for an explosive-engine, and means for carbureting the air passing therethrough, comprisinga small pipe arranged horizontally in said passage, and having a gooseneck or turned-up portion at its inner end for keeping said carbureting-pipe full of gasolene or other fuel, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the cylinder of an explosive-engine, a horizontal air-supplying passage therefor, means for carbureting the air'in said passage, comprising a small horizontallyarranged pipe therein having a gooseneck or turned-up portion at its inner end for keeping said carbureting-pipe full of gasolene or other fuel, a fuel-reservoir, connections for supplying fuel to said fuel-reservoir, and means for keeping the fuel at aconstant level therein, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the cylinder of an explosive-engine, a horizontal air-supplying passage therefor, means for carbureting the air in said passage, comprising a small pipe arranged horizontally therein,- having a goose= neck or turned-up inner end, and a check Valve controlling the inlet to said pipe, the parts being arranged, so that a small supply of fuel will be trapped or maintained in the horizontal pipe, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 40 my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, GEORGE E. WEBB. Witnesses:

LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE, PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE. 

